Cai Qi Appointed President of CCP Central Party School, Analysts Say His Influence Within the Party is Rising

(CNA, Shanghai, June 6, by reporter Liao Wen-chi) Cai Qi, Director of the General Office of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee, has been appointed President of the CCP Central Party School (National Academy of Governance) and recently attended a graduation ceremony. Analysis indicates that this move allows Cai Qi to grasp nearly all core powers of the Communist Party, solidifying his position as a trusted confidant of CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping.

Xinhua News Agency reported that the CCP Central Party School (National Academy of Governance) held a graduation ceremony for its second batch of the 2026 spring semester on the 5th. Cai Qi, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, Secretary of the Central Secretariat, and Director of the General Office of the Central Committee, attended the ceremony for the first time in his capacity as President of the Central Party School to award graduation certificates to the students.

Hong Kong's Sing Tao Daily pointed out that the former president of the school was Chen Xi, a former Politburo member and former head of the Central Organization Department. After stepping down as head of the Organization Department at the 20th Party Congress in 2022, Chen Xi continued to serve as the school's president until this recent departure. This also means the presidency of the Central Party School is once again held concurrently by a leader at the Politburo Standing Committee level.

The CCP Central Party School is the highest institution for training the party's leading cadres. Since 2018, it has operated under a 'one institution, two names' system with the National Academy of Governance.

Reuters quoted Jean Christopher Mittelstaedt, a professor of modern Chinese studies at the University of Zurich, as saying, 'With this appointment, he concentrates the party's organizational, discursive, and administrative functions all in one Politburo Standing Committee member,' an arrangement he considers 'unprecedented.'

The report states that, aside from disciplinary bodies, Cai Qi has assumed extensive responsibilities in the construction and operation of the CCP. Currently holding multiple key party positions, including Director of the General Office, he is Xi Jinping's de facto chief of staff. As one of the seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee, he is one of the few core figures holding supreme power in China.

The report also notes that China's two most recent top leaders, Xi Jinping and Hu Jintao, both served as president of the Central Party School before taking the country's highest office.

However, Mittelstaedt stated that due to his age (70), Cai Qi is unlikely to become Xi's successor, but Xi is closely tying Cai to the party's future. 'This involves the most important interests and represents the highest level of trust.' (Editor: Chou Hui-ying) 1150606